1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication module connector to be used for mounting a communication module represented by a bluetooth transmission/reception module, on an assembled circuit board of any of a variety of apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
The bluetooth is a short-distance communication technology for which standardization has been started in May 1998 by five companies, i.e., Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Nokia and Toshiba. This is used for communicating, in radio, audio data or asynchronous data in a short distance of about 10 m.
To achieve such a short-distance communication technology, it is required to mount a blue tooth communication module (transmission/reception module) on apparatus which participates in communication, such as a cellular phone, a notebook computer, a digital household electrical appliance and equipment, or the like.
A bluetooth communication module has, for example, a connector portion used for connection with an assembled circuit board of such apparatus. When this connector portion is connected to a connector portion disposed on the assembled circuit board of the apparatus, the apparatus is electrically connected to the bluetooth communication module.
Examples of the bluetooth communication module include a module incorporating an antenna for radio communication, and a module incorporating no antenna but having a coaxial connector for connection with an external antenna. The antenna-incorporating module has, as an external connection, only a connector portion for communicating a signal with the assembled circuit board. On the other hand, the module arranged to use an external antenna, has not only a signal connector portion for communication with the assembled circuit board, but also a coaxial connector for a radio frequency band. The assembled circuit board also has a coaxial connector. Communication of a high frequency signal between the communication module and the assembled circuit board, is achieved through a dedicated cable provided at both ends thereof with coaxial connectors to be respectively fitted to the coaxial connector of the communication module and the coaxial connector of the assembled circuit board.
According to the connection structure above-mentioned, a connector portion is disposed at the bluetooth communication module, and a connector portion to be fitted to this first-mentioned connector portion is mounted on the assembled circuit board of the apparatus. However, there are instances where different manufacturers respectively produce a bluetooth communication module, apparatus on which this communication module is mounted, and connectors for connecting the communication module and the apparatus to each other. In such a case, the connector manufacturer is required to supply, respectively, one of a pair of connector portions to be fitted to each other, to the communication module manufacturer and the other to the apparatus manufacturer. This makes not only handling but also quality control difficult.
The above problem is also applied to coaxial connectors. Further, a coaxial connector disposed at a communication module is very small. This makes it difficult to fit a coaxial connector of a dedicated cable to the coaxial connector of the communication module. Further, such a dedicated cable is disadvantageously very expensive.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication module connector easy to handle.
The present invention relates to a connector (10) to be used for mounting, on an assembled circuit board, a communication module (100) having a high frequency circuit (102) mounted thereon. This connector comprises: a connector body (1) to be mounted on an assembled circuit board; contact members (2) disposed on the connector body and having contacts (21) which come in resilient contact with the terminals of the communication module, and connection portions (22) which are electrically connected to the assembled circuit board; and a high-frequency-signal connector-element mounting portion (19) disposed at the connector body for mounting a high-frequency-signal connector element (7).
Numerals and alphabets in parentheses refer to corresponding component elements in the embodiments to be discussed later. However, it is a matter of course that the present invention should not be construed as limited to these embodiments. This is also applied to the following description.
The communication module may be a bluetooth transmission/reception module.
The communication module may have, on the surface of a circuit board (101), metallic pads (103) serving as the terminals above-mentioned.
According to the present invention, the connector body to be mounted on an assembled circuit board, has contact members to be connected to a communication module, and these contact members are arranged to be electrically connected to the assembled circuit board. Accordingly, for example when the terminals formed by metallic pads or the like on the surface of the circuit board as a component element of the communication module, come in resilient contact with the contact members, the communication module can be electrically connected to the assembled circuit board. According to such a connection mode, a connector element is not required to be disposed at the communication module side. This not only simplifies the arrangement of the communication module, but also facilitates the handling of the connector. Further, the connector is solely attached at the side of the assembled circuit board. This is also advantageous in view of the quality control of the connector.
Further, the communication module connector of the present invention has a high-frequency-signal connector-element mounting portion, and provision is made such that a high-frequency-signal connector element can be mounted, as necessary, on this high-frequency-signal connector-element mounting portion. Accordingly, when such a high-frequency-signal connector element has been mounted, this achieves both electric connection for an ordinary signal (having low frequency as compared with a high frequency signal), and electric connection for a high frequency signal (e.g., signal of a radio frequency band).
It is preferable that the connector body has a mounting space (3) on which the communication module is to be mounted, and that the connector further comprises a cover member (5) for opening and closing at least a portion of the mounting space.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, when a communication module is mounted on the module mounting space and the cover member is closed, the communication module can securely be held, and the resilient contact between the communication module and the contact members can securely be held.
Preferably, a locking mechanism (locking pawl or the like) (54a, 56a) is disposed at the cover member and/or the connector body for keeping the cover member in the closing state.
It is preferable that the cover member is rotatably attached to one end of the connector body for regulating one end portion of the communication module within the mounting space, and that there is formed, at the other end of the connector body opposite to the one end, a regulating member (4) arranged to engage with the other end portion of the communication module opposite to the one end portion, there by to regulate the other end portion of the communication module within the mounting space.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, when the communication module is housed in the mounting space with the other end portion of the communication module regulated by the regulating member, and the cover member is closed, the communication module can securely be held in the mounting space of the connector body. Accordingly, even though a shock is given to the apparatus on which the communication module has been mounted, the communication module cannot get out of the connector, thus securely holding the electric connection between the communication module and the assembled circuit board of the apparatus.
It is preferable that the high-frequency-signal connector-element mounting portion is disposed at the one end of the connector body, and that the contact members are disposed at the other end of the connector body.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, the one end of the connector body is regulated by the cover member. It is therefore possible to securely connect the high-frequency-signal connector element and the communication module to each other. Further, the other end of the communication module is regulated by the regulating member. This securely holds the electric connection between the contact members and the terminals of the communication module.
Preferably, the cover member is made of metal. In such a case, noise shielding can be achieved by the cover member. In particular, when the high-frequency-signal connector-element mounting portion is disposed so as to be covered with the cover member, this effectively prevents noise from entering into a high frequency signal transmission passage through the high-frequency-signal connector part, and into a high frequency circuit in the vicinity thereof.
To obtain a good noise shielding effect, the connector of the present invention preferably further comprises a noise-shielding connection member (6) arranged to connect the cover member to a low-impedance portion (a power supply portion or ground portion, for example) of the assembled circuit board when the cover member is closed.
Further, when an extension portion (54xcx9c57, 59, 60) for laterally covering a portion of the mounting space, is formed at the lateral side of the cover member, the noise shielding effect can be increased.
Preferably, the cover member has a spring piece (58) to be pressingly contacted with the communication module (in particular, the outer surface of the heat generating portion; e.g., the outer surface in the vicinity of the high frequency circuit).
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, heat generated from circuit elements in the communication module, can be radiated through the spring piece (e.g., integral with the cover member and made of metal).
Preferably, the connector of the present invention further comprises a heat transfer member (6) attached to said connector body, this heat transfer member being arranged to be pressingly contacted with the cover member and to be joined to the assembled circuit board to form a heat radiating passage thereto when the cover member is closed.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, heat generated in the communication module passes through the metallic cover member via the spring piece, and is then transmitted to the assembled circuit board through the heat transfer member (which may also serve as the noise-shielding connection member). This effectively prevents the communication module from being excessively heated.
Preferably, the connector further comprises amounting aid member (51, 52) which is disposed at the rotational base end of the cover member, which comes in contact with one end of the communication module at the time of operations of mounting the same on the mounting space, and which causes the cover member to be rotated in the closing direction when the communication module is pushed into the mounting space.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, when the communication module is mounted, this causes the cover member to be rotated in the closing direction. This facilitates the mounting of the communication module. For example, the communication module can be mounted on the connector body with one hand.
Preferably, the connector further comprises a switch member (9) disposed at the connector body and arranged to be made or opened dependent on the installation of the communication module.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, whether or not the communication module is being mounted on the connector body, can be detected by monitoring the conduction/non-conduction of the switch member.
The switch member is to be electrically connected to the assembled circuit board of the apparatus. Such electric connection may be achieved by solder-joining the switch member terminals (91, 92) to the assembled circuit board. Alternately, portions out of the contact members may be used for electrical connection between the switch member and the assembled circuit board.
Preferably, the connector above-mentioned further comprises a high-frequency-signal connector element (7) mounted on the high-frequency-signal connector-element mounting portion and arranged to come in resilient contact with a high-frequency-signal terminal portion (104) of the communication module.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, the high-frequency-signal connector element is mounted on the high-frequency-signal connector-element mounting portion. It is therefore possible to communicate, between the connector and the communication module, not only a signal of an ordinary frequency band, but also a high frequency signal of a radio frequency band for example.
Provision is made such that the high-frequency-signal connector element comes in resilient contact with the high-frequency-signal terminal portion of the communication module. Therefore, no connector element for a high frequency signal is required to be disposed at the side of the communication module. More specifically, the high-frequency-signal terminal portion of the communication module can be made in the form of metallic pads (105, 106) formed on the circuit board, and when the high-frequency-signal connector element comes in resilient contact with such terminal portion, a high frequency signal transmission passage is formed.
Accordingly, even though the communication module is, for example, of the type using an external antenna, a high-frequency-signal connector element is not required to be disposed on the communication module. This not only simplifies the arrangement of the communication module, but also lowers the cost thereof. Further, provision is made such that the high-frequency-signal connector element is pressingly contacted with the high-frequency-signal terminal portion of the communication module. This advantageously saves the trouble of fitting the connector parts to each other.
Further, when the high-frequency-signal connector element is arranged to be solder-joined to the assembled circuit board of the apparatus, this eliminates the need of using an expensive dedicated cable.
Preferably, the high-frequency-signal connector element comprises: a ground contact (72) arranged to come in contact with a ground portion (106) of the high-frequency-signal terminal portion; a signal contact (71) arranged to come in contact with a signal portion (105) of the high-frequency-signal terminal portion; a ground contact biasing member (77) for resiliently biasing the ground contact to the ground portion of the high-frequency-signal terminal portion; and a signal contact biasing member (73) for resiliently biasing the signal contact to the signal portion of the high-frequency-signal terminal portion.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, the ground contact and the signal contact are respectively resiliently biased to the signal portion and the ground portion of the communication module. Accordingly, a good high frequency signal transmission passage is formed between the high-frequency-signal connector element and the communication module.
These and other features, objects, advantages and effects of the present invention will be more fully apparent from the following detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.